If you drive by the intersection of Oak Park Avenue and Forest Preserve Drive on the Northwest Side of Chicago, you will see a half-completed building that is meant to house Illinois veterans who need medical care.

It sits untouched since July 1, when construction was brought to a halt as a result of the budget impasse.

A $2 million grant that would have built out a vacant portion of village hall in Harwood Heights—putting it to good use instead of letting it continue to be only a storage space—remains suspended, for the same reason.

Social services for the disabled, elderly, mentally ill, poor and veterans have disappeared. MAP grants, which help low-income students pay for college, along with funding for community colleges are unfunded.

And the list goes on.

So far, investments like these have become symbols of the budget impasse, with plans in place and funds pulled.

In his second State of the State address, Governor Rauner said, “There’s a serious deficit in public trust when it comes to government in Illinois.” And I can see why. When projects have gotten a green light and some have even begun construction, that is no time to re-evaluate the state’s commitment to our communities and pull the rug out from under them.

The governor is right about one thing: We can’t wait any longer.

It is time for us to come together and solve the issues that face our state; otherwise, we will continue down the path that has led to the erosion of social services—and higher education in Illinois.

While we can’t walk back the clock and take back some of the mistakes made in the past year that have caused people harm, I remain hopeful that together we can work towards bipartisan legislation that would benefit all people in Illinois.

Compromise is the path we should be taking, and I look forward to seeing my fellow legislators and the governor do just that.

SPRINGFIELD – Following his first year on the job, Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) has released the following statement regarding the governor’s State of the State address:

“I would hope that we can chalk the first year up to a learning curve,” Mulroe said. “Unfortunately, we can’t walk back the clock and some of the mistakes made in the past year have caused people harm. But I am hopeful that together we can work towards bipartisan legislation that would benefit all people in Illinois. Compromise is the path we should be taking, and I look forward to seeing my fellow legislators and the governor do just that.”

SPRINGFIELD – A project to build a veterans’ home on Chicago’s Northwest Side has been stalled since the budget impasse started in July. A new proposal by State Senator John G. Mulroe (D-Chicago) would fund the project to let construction resume immediately.

“I am sick and tired of politics getting in the way of our state providing the basic services that are required by our constitution,” Mulroe said. “Letting the construction of a veterans’ home get caught up in this budget mess is unacceptable.”

Senate Bill 2225 would free up over $60 million that has been dedicated to and intended for building the 200-bed facility.

“This facility will provide specialized medical care for the brave men and women who fought for our country, some of whom have Alzheimer’s and dementia,” Mulroe said. “We need to come together to take care of our veterans. They deserve nothing less.”

SPRINGFIELD – Following the governor’s announcement this morning that it would be filing an Unfair Labor Practices Act against AFSCME with the Labor Relations Board, Senator John Mulroe (D-Chicago) has released the following statement regarding the administration’s opinion of bad faith negotiations:

“We have been witnessing a pattern of unreasonable negotiations since July when the governor failed to uphold his constitutional duty to sign a balanced budget into law. Middle-class families, the elderly, the disabled and our poorest citizens are feeling real pain as the New Year begins, and the governor has the gall to claim that AFSCME is negotiating in bad faith?

I won’t claim to know what has been going on behind the closed-door negotiations, but if he is sticking to his anti-union and anti-middle class agenda, then I can only guess that the administration’s view of ‘bad faith’ negotiations is disingenuous. I again call on Governor Rauner and his administration to work with the General Assembly, to work with the unions, and to help get the State of Illinois back on track. We can make Illinois strong again, but we must work together.”